Rise Up and Sing!: Power, Protest, and Activism in Music

by Andrea Warner, Andrea Warner

This inspiring introduction to activism and social justice for young teens shows the important role music plays in changing the world,

In Rise Up and Sing! , Andrea Warner explores how music has contributed to the fight for social justice. Across eight areas of activism—the climate emergency, Indigenous rights, civil rights, disability rights, 2SLGBTQIA+ rights, gender equality, the peace/anti-war movement, and human rights—Warner introduces some of the artists, past and present, who have made a difference both on stage and off.

Through ground-breaking artists and iconic moments, Rise Up and Sing! shows us that a song is never just a song, and that music really does have the power to change the world.

Genres: Nonfiction, Music, Activism, Social Justice, Middle Grade, History, Historical

200 pages, Hardcover

Published October 17, 2023

Reviews

[Luciana · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book for young teens!

This book is a book that looks at the history of activism through music. It shows the important role music plays in society through 8 areas of activism. The chapters are divided into groups of people (individuals & bands) who have made an impact sharing their views through music via power, protesting & activism . There are small bios on each of the singers/group, each has a powerful message to share on topics that are important to this world. They list songs that are effective in sharing their message as well as playlists & bonus tracts you can seek out.

These singers/groups all have a powerful message to share & they do it through music! A very unique read! Well researched & written!

[Erikka · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn’t too bad. It is amazing how often a song becomes a symbol of a revolution, sometimes even more than a person or place or bottle or a specific moment in time. I think that’s why often in movies, we know exactly what’s going to happen, as soon as we hear a song: because we know what that song represents. It was a little drier than I would have expected a book about revolutions to be, but the art was nice.

[brynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

a good intro to leftism and the various human rights causes through the lens of music. i learned various things about history and about current artists i love (i had no clue halsey is non-binary i literally love their music sm)


here are the playlists i made of the playlists in all the chapters -

chapter one -
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0yO...

chapter two -
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3Ky...

chapter three -
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Tu...

chapter four -
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1L0...

chapter five -
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6aS...

chapter six -
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/30G...

chapter seven -
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2Vc...

chapter eight -
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3E8...

[Wren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book describes how music can help promote change for a variety of people and issues. There are eight chapters, each listing various musicians and their work. Here is a sampling of artists featured: Bjork, Tanya Tagaq, Beyonce, Paramore, Indigo Girls, Queen Latifah, Joan Baez, Woody Guthrie, Ana Tijoux.

At the end of each chapter is a suggested playlist with some "bonus tracks" of song my musicians that did not receive a two-page spread about their work. There are illustrations throughout.

I would put this at upper middle grade if not YA.

Here are the eight topics:

Earth Revolution (Climate Justice, the Environment, and Land Back)

Indigenous Existence and Resistance (Decolonization and Indigenous Rights)

Fight the Power (Liberation, Civil Rights, and Racial Justice)

Nothing About Us Without Us (Accessibility, Acceptance, and Disability Rights)

I Was Born This Way (Pride, Protest, and 2SLGBTQIA+ Rights)

Respect (Gender Equality, Nonbinary Folks, and Inclusive Feminism)

Give Peace a Chance (The Anti-War Movement and the Dream of Peace)

Stand By Me (Human Rights, Dignity, Liberty, and Equality).

[Lauren | Wordsbetweenlines · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rise Up and Sing

4⭐️

We have loved reading this book as a family!

Music has always played such a huge role in my life and I’m trying to share that love with my children. Reading about musicians that have used their music to advocate, protest and being awareness has been a reminder for me of the power of music.

One of my kids was beyond thrilled to see that Tegan and Sara were in here! By far her favourite part of the book.

Highly recommend if you are a big music lover.

Thank you Greystone books for the book!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved that this book is written for young people - I felt it gives a great introduction to social movements and activism by highlighting the powerful force of music. I found the writing to be accessible and the chapter lengths just long enough to provide some depth without overwhelming readers. Important book for lighting the fire of resistance in young people and supporting those whose fire is already lit!

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rise up and sing is a celebration of the many ways music has galvanized social movements. In a period where activism has more visibility than ever learning how various artists have lent their voices to different causes is sure to appeal to a teen audience.

The book is organized by causes (Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ, environment justice, indigenous people, etc). It can be read cover to cover or jump in and out to explore the causes that resonate with the reader.

The playlist included at the end of each chapter is a fun bonus.

[Ren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a really well done and compiled resource, I just wish it wasn't already inaccurate in some sections. Ultimately, Warner has done a fantastic job at trying to create an encouraging book for young adults, so I can't rate it too low, and the amount of work put in is phenomenal, but already being inaccurate this soon after publishing is too large of a hit for me.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic start! I wanted more songs and artists!

[Annalise Kraines · Rating 3 out of 5]

FASCINATING lens to view music through. This book promoted artists both known and virtually unknown (at least to me), an incredibly diverse list. The analysis of these songs was somewhat lacking, but this book was designed to be an overview so I won't hold that against it. You can find a Spotify playlist with nearly every single song mentioned in this book in the comment section. You're welcome.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6lM...